I did a "cleanse" about a year ago. I am not a big fan of the cleanses; I think that starving yourself is not very healthy, it kicks the crap out of your metabolism (which can take months to rebuild) and people use and abuse them to justify eating McDonalds the rest of the year. That being said, I did one. Veggie drinks and pills with cayenne pepper, garlic and clay along with juices and finally raw veggies and a few fruits for 2 weeks. It was fine. I lost a few pounds, I felt good afterwards, blah blah blah. However, during the cleanse I skipped the milk for 2 weeks which I had never done before and that was a big deal. It's been a year and I feel so great without it that I can't imagine milk in my life again.
Why do we drink milk? No other animals drink another animal's milk. It's weird. I am a BIG conspiracy theorist and this is one of my favorites. Somebody out there decided there was a ton of money to be made if they could convince the public that their kids MUST have milk to be healthy. It’s made out to be a freakin’ miracle pill. Milk does a body good and all that B.S. Well, I disagree and the more I read about it, the stronger I feel about it. Dairy farms are pumping these poor animals (with those big brown eyes!) full of hormones to keep them producing for 7 years or more and then full of antibiotics because they are always getting sick it those shotty conditions. It's no wonder our antibiotics have become ineffective and our kids are hitting puberty 3 years earlier than in the past. Plus, and this is really gross, their poor udders get infected and the puss gets mixed right in with your cereal. Yummy!
That being said, my kids drink milk. I wish they didn't and they don't have it every day, but they do have it and I am working on cutting them back. My only justification is that I always and only buy organic milk. It's the only way I let them have it. No hormones, no antibiotics and organic farms have better conditions for these creatures to live in. I make the kids say a big thank you to the sweet cows for giving them their milk and drink it all so as not to waste it.
You know, for now, I don't want to be the food enemy and I figure leading by example that is the best thing to do until they understand and feel it too. Parents do the grocery shopping and cooking most of the time, so never underestimate your power. I just feel it's best to expose the kids to my views and concerns and then let them make the choices that stick.
